Pressure plate with controlled allowable tilt

ABSTRACT

The pressure plate with controlled allowable tilt is used to compact waste material, in order to reduce it in volume within the confines of a container. The pressure plate pivots on a ball, the neck of which is attached to the rod of the pressure cylinder, and with further control provided by the tilt plates attached to the edges of the pressure plate, the angle of tilt will put no undue stresses on the cylinder rod pressure plate or the container inside which it travels.

United States Patent Inventor John H. Maxwell Montreal, Quebec, CanadaAppl. No. 52,187

Filed July 6, 1970 Patented Jan. 4, I972 Assignee J. H. Maxwell Mfg.Inc. Pierre, Quebec, Canada PRESSURE PLATE WITH CONTROLLED ALLOWABLETILT 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 100/240, 100/295 Int. Cl B30b 15/06 Field of Search 100/240,245, 295

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,415,766 2/1947 Shapiro100/295 X 1,562,390 11/1925 Trust et al 100/245 Primary Examiner-BillyJ. Wilhite AttorneyMason, Fenwick & Lawrence PATENTED JAR M972 INVENTORJOHN H.MAxwELL BY WQSmAJwJwQQw Q ATTORNEY3 PRESSURE PLATE WITHCONTROLLED ALLOWABLE TILT This invention relates to a steel or ironplate which is used as a pressure plate, and is driven, vertically down,on the horizontal plain, inside the walls of a steel or iron box. Apiston rod, attached to the center of the top side of the pressureplate, is the driving force. The purpose of the pressure plate is tocompact whatever waste material is deposited in the box.

Referring to this invention, it is common practice in this type of box,that the pressure plate be held rigidly on the horizontal plain, duringits passage vertically down, the inside walls of the box. Thus wastematerial deposited in the box must be carefully placed, so that thepressure plate will not be required to meet a vertically placed piece ofwaste material, which material (such as a can or bottle etc.) because ofits strength in compression, would cause the pressure plate to tilt, andthereby cause structural damage to the pressure plate or the guides,used to hold the pressure plate in a rigid position on the horizontalplain. Thus this type of pressure plate requires that there be greatcare taken by the person who deposits the waste material in the box.Should the waste material being deposited in the box be garbage, thereis a natural aversion on the part of the person who deposits such waste,to open the door of the box and level the waste material surface toaccommodate the pressure plate.

1 have found that these disadvantages, as recounted above, may beovercome by mounting a spherical ball, with neck, the neck beingattached to the piston rod and the spherical ball being enclosed inchannel sections, which are attached in the form of a cross, on the topside of the pressure plate. Vertically mounted plates attached to thepressure plate at all the extreme edges on top and bottom provide thetilt control of the pressure plate. Thus, the pressure plate when in itsdownward movement, meets an obstruction (can or bottle etc.) will thentilt on the spherical ball, without damage to either the piston rod oritself, and when the tilt reaches the full extent of the angle of degreeallowed, the top and bottom edges of the vertically mounted tilt plates,on the extreme edges of the pressure plate, will come in contact withthe inside faces of the vertical plates forming the box itself. It willthen be a simple matter for the operator to reverse the power, drivingthe piston rod, and by so doing to reverse the pressure plate. Onrepeating this action of forward down and reverse up on the piston rod,the pressure plate will overturn the piece of waste material, therebyleveling the surface of same. Thus, the operator will not be required tohandle the waste material, and the pressure plate may continue to finishthe compacting of it.

In the drawing which illustrates the embodiment of this invention:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the first part of this embodiment;

and

FIG. 2 is a section of the line ll--[l of FIG. 1 of the first part ofthis embodiment.

The plate 5 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is of iron or steel, and haschannel sections 2 of iron or steel welded to it. There is a hole cut inthe center of the bottom side of the plate 5 in H0. 2, in order toinsert the ball and neck 1 and another hole is cut in the channelsection 2 to receive the neck of the ball 1. The hole in the center ofthe bottom side of the plate 5 is closed off by the welding of a plate 6over it. The tilt plates 7 are welded in position as shown in FIGS. 1and 2 to the plate 5 on all of its four sides, and the vertical heightof the tilt plates 7 is in relation to the square area of the plate 5.The plate 5 is then attached to the piston rod 4 by the neck of the ballI and has a pin 3, which is a drive fit through the neck of the ball 1and the piston rod 4. Thus when this attachment by the pin 3 is made,then the plate 5 can be driven down or pulled up the inside faces of thesides of the box 8, by the piston rod 4. On meeting obstructions to itshorizontal level, in either of the up or down driven directions, it cantilt to a controlled position, by reason of the tilt plates 7, withoutdamage to the plate 5 or the piston rod 4.

I claim: 1. Means for compressing material comprising a four-sided box,a four-sided pressure plate attached to a piston rod for reciprocationon the interior of said box for compressing material within the box,said pressure plate including tilt plates connected to the edges of saidpressure plate and extending above and below the pressure plate inplanes generally perpendicular to the plane of said pressure plate aspaced distance away from the walls of the box and spherical ball meansconnecting said pressure plate to said piston rod to permit tilting ofsaid pressure plate during reciprocation of said pressure plate on theinterior of said box with the amount of tilting permitted beingcontrolled by the width of said tilt plates.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said pressure plate is of squareconfiguration.

3. The invention of claim 1 additionally including brace membersextending diagonally across the side of said plate from which saidpiston rod extends.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said brace members comprise channelmembers welded to the upper surface of said plate with one of saidchannel members including an aperture through which said piston rodextends for connection to said spherical ball means.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said channel members comprise anelongated channel member extending from opposite comers of said plateand first and second shorter channel members extending from oppositecomers of said plate up to a position adjacent said elongated channelmember.

1. Means for compressing material comprising a four-sided box, afour-sided pressure plate attached to a piston rod for reciprocation onthe interior of said box for compressing material within the box, saidpressure plate including tilt plates connected to the edges of saidpressure plate and extending above and below the pressure plate inplanes generally perpendicular to the plane of said pressure plate aspaced distance away from the walls of the box and spherical ball meansconnecting said pressure plate to said piston rod to permit tilting ofsaid pressure plate during reciprocation of said pressure plate on theinterior of said box with the amount of tilting permitted beingcontrolled by the width of said tilt plates.
 2. The invention of claim 1wherein said pressure plate is of square configuration.
 3. The inventionof claim 1 additionally including brace members extending diagonallyacross the side of said plate from which said piston rod extends.
 4. Theinvention of claim 3 wherein said brace members comprise channel memberswelded to the upper surface of said plate with one of said channelmembers including an aperture through which said piston rod extends forconnection to said spherical ball means.
 5. The invention of claim 4wherein said channel members comprise an elongated channel memberextending from opposite corners of said plate and first and secondshorter channel members extending from opposite corners of said plate upto a position adjacent said elongated channel member.